The Cowboys’ bizarre trade for Jonathan Mingo rightfully earns F grades

The Cowboys’ season is in shambles and their solution is to make the strangest and most hilarious trades of the season. It was announced Tuesday morning that the Carolina Panthers traded WR Jonathan Mingo and a 7th round pick to Dallas in exchange for a 4th round pick in 2025.

There’s no point in wasting words on this: Mingo was a failure. The Panthers vastly overrated him in 2023 under their previous terrible GM Scott Fitterer, and at no point did Mingo look like a capable NFL receiver beyond someone you’d bury deep on the depth chart. His selection by Carolina was a feature-based choice, hoping they would get the best parts of his film, and none of the downsides.

That never worked out, as Mingo was passed on the depth chart by rookie Xavier Legette, then standout undrafted free agent Jalen Coker and finally depth receiver David Moore. It’s absolutely wild that any team would see enough in Mingo to trade for him, let alone a fourth-round pick — but Jerry Jones believes in him.

So what exactly are the Cowboys getting in Jonathan Mingo? Well, he’s a big-bodied human. The additions end there.

Mingo is a slow route runner who moves like he’s knee deep in molasses. He is not an instinctive player who wants to open up in the field. When the ball is in the air, he doesn’t make a high run or fight for the catch in the air, routinely getting broken up 50/50 balls by smaller receivers that he should absolutely dominate.

The trajectory of his career was to sit at the back end of the Panthers depth chart for the remainder of his rookie contract before being released. Somehow Carolina found a way to get him a high pick. Meanwhile, Cowboys fans are not taking his deal well.

The Cowboys just saved the Panthers from a terrible draft pick. It’s honestly amazing that any team would make such a bad deal.